Red Ties
by Blackwolf4626
Summary: Heavily inspired by Alpha and Omega and by a man that I met on this website. A story about two young men. One has demons from his past and plenty of familial troubles. The other is hoping to start a business and is in love with the other, more troubled man. Did I forget to mention that this world they're in is filled with anthropomorphic animals? Yeah, that's kind of important. MxM
1. Prologue

Prologue

On average, there aren't many cases of food poisoning every year. Only about seventy six million illnesses are caused by food related illnesses. Of that number, only 5,000 individuals die from improperly prepared food or food that is detrimental to health.

That number is considerably small when compared to the 1.3 million people who die in car crashes each year.

Although, the act of poisoning is heavily romanticized in literature. As Brin laid there in his hospital bed, gazing up at the dimly lite fluorescent lights, he thought that anyone who accepted that notion should go through what he went through before accepting such an idea.

The gentle and rhythmic sound of his heart monitor was repeating gently to his right and he let the sound wake him up slowly, hearing it get louder and louder as it got more tedious. Once he had enough of the increasingly irritating noise, he mustered the strength to lean up and take the heart monitor off of his finger.

He looked back on his memories, trying to remember how he had gotten here; how he ate the otherwise delicious food that had sent him here in the first place. But his thoughts were interrupted when he felt a pressure against his lap. He lifted his head but only saw a partial, red furred, figure. Brin had a feeling as to who it was but still made an effort to sit up, wanting to confirm his assumption.

There he was, asleep with his head on his arms and his arms on Brin's lap. The man was still dressed in the clothes that he was in when Brin fell down and started getting sick. He replayed the memories and his smile disappeared; he realized that he may have to break up with this man, no, that he had to.


	2. The Day They Met

Chapter 1

Brax was up at first light and said goodbye to his sister before getting into the rented moving van and departing. It was a quick exchange. The last thing he saw of his hometown was his sister in the side mirror and the shrinking image of the buildings that he had grown up knowing. He exhaled sullenly and wiped his eyes free of the tears that had not yet developed.

He steeled his will over the past few weeks but it was harder than he anticipated to leave the place he called home for the last twenty years. The road ahead looked lonely as he sat in the moderately comfortable leather with his long fluffy tail lazily swaying to and fro. Brax found that he was kind of excited for the road ahead

Brax didn't get that much time to explore his new town. Northwood, as it was called. He got a sense of what other businesses were in town and how many tourists they got at the small town. He decided immediately that this was where he wanted to set up shop. He was brimming with excitement to see his massage clinic up and running, seeing the same costumers come in every now and then and enjoying their company. It was the type of life that he wanted and he saw a future in Northwood.

He drove around five hours to get there; a reasonable distance from his home where he could rush home if there was an emergency or if he had a few days off on holiday. But the sun was starting to go down and was starting to shine orange on his red fur. His fox features were highlighted by the soon to be setting sun and he enjoyed the view of all of the surrounding trees being caressed by the light.

When he got to his newly rented house, he hopped down from the moving truck and took the opportunity to stretch and also to inhale the air of his new territory.

After looking at the small house with its overhang and small porch, he took out his cellphone to call his parents that he was here and was disappointed to hear that his sister wasn't there. Brax hung up the phone when his Mom wished him goodbye and his father's voice in the background wished him the same.

Brax smiled to himself and went to the back of the truck, opening the hatch, and rolling up the gate and then starting the arduous task of unloading the truck. Luckily, he sold all of his very heavy furniture to his friends and some decently well known family members so he didn't have that many very heavy items to deal with.

Brax didn't get to finish the unpacking before his hunger got the better of him and his stomach voiced its complaint. He put down his collection of game discs and checked the time. It was only half past six and it was reasonable to assume that a local diner might be still open and he didn't want to be going to bed tired and hungry. Brax looked at his attire into the mirror that he had unloaded as it was propped against the wall as it was put on the floor. His green eyes still shown in the light as they always had and his fur was luckily still red everywhere except for the bottom half of his muzzle and on his chest.

Brax smiled; pleased with the results and that he hadn't ruined his visage when moving everything before heading out, locking the door to his new house and walking back to the moving truck. As he backed out and looked at his new house in the side mirrors, he felt a sense of pride that it was his house he was looking at, his alone.

His day had started out the same as any other, but would end uncomfortably different. It was in the small and lush town of Northwood that Brin met the new arrival. Northwood was by all means a typical small town. Its inhabitants, however, were as atypical as it could get. For example, Brin's current boss, who worked in the back of the diner as the anthropomorphic husky wiped down the tables, was terribly obsessively compulsive. His boss' kitchen consistently passed all required inspections and the surprise ones as well. It was all due to his I incessant need to see all things spotless and in their right place.

Outlines of the tools were made at first, to mark where each tool should align in accordance with another. But later it was decided that he should try to be more lenient in his outlet, of course it was Brin that suggested he try to overcome his compulsiveness. The outlines were erased eventually, but not forgotten.

"Brin! Are you done yet?" Raymond, the chef in question, asked as his bear ears perked up to wait for a response from his employee and friend.

Brin looked up at his friend as he put the rag away and into his apron. He thought to himself that he would like to be as normal as that man. He still needed to wipe a few more tables in order to satisfy his boss's needs to see the place sparkle.

"Not yet. Please, give me a second." Brin pleaded as he hurried to finish wiping off the tables.

The Northwood Diner, so aptly named because it's only one of two restaurants in town, was empty. Raymond and Brin were currently the only ones inside and it had been that way for a while. Raymond didn't get many visitors in his diner. Mostly just the locals when they wanted to go out for something good to eat. For that reason, Raymond was always updating his menu with new items, to keep his clientele entertained and coming back.

Raymond himself was a pretty good cook. He went to culinary school and trained under a well respected chef, although he never told Brin who exactly the chef was. He got a loan, bought his own diner and has been doing pretty good in his business, enough to pay the bills and keep himself fed, but just barely. When Brin himself was young, he used to enjoy the bear's cooking as he had first opened his restaurant when Brin was eleven. He admired how he always took the time to garnish and arrange the plate to make it appetizing. Although he would later find out that the arrangements were because of his O.C.D.

Two years ago, when Brin had just turned twenty-one, he saw the "Help Wanted" sign and loved working at the diner ever since. It was one of his favorite jobs actually.

"Oi, don't you have your paper route later tonight?" Raymond asked, peaking out from the service counter and looking clean, even his apron.

Brin looked back at him as he sat down the salt and pepper shakers, just now finishing the tables.

"Yeah, but not for a while anyway." Brin replied, assuring his boss and friend.

Raymond sighed and took off his apron before walking over and taking the rag out of the husky's paw and starting to re-wipe the table. Although it was cleaned enough, the bear wanted Brin to know that he could do it and the husky could get on to his next job.

Brin stood there and sighed as he looked over the brown furred bear. He still looked pretty young but he was already middle aged and was sort of wearing down. Brin stayed anyway, content that he should stay here until his shift is over. He looked out of the restaurants window and saw that the sun was starting to set. Brin gazed at his watch and saw his own reflection, seeing the blue eyes that others always noticed and his very light brown fur that covered most of his body except for around his muzzle and where his eyebrows should be, those parts were cream colored. But he wasn't looking so much at his features but at the time. It would soon be time to leave and get ready for his paper route.

"You're already over worked as it is. Just go home and get some rest." Raymond ordered, glancing at his co-worker.

Brin opened his muzzle in response but was quickly disrupted by the sound of the door's bell, signifying that someone had entered the diner and was ready to be served.

"I'll be with you in a second! Please find a seat!" Brin said, looking to Raymond after he said it, his face baring a smirk of defiance directed towards the bear. "Just this last customer, okay? You need to be cooking."

Raymond scowled at the husky with his furred features. The fact that he was a bear and scowling might've intimidated some but Brin wasn't deterred. Even though Raymond was one of the most intimidating men Brin knew, he was also one of the most likable and kindest. Cue the reason that he was trying to get Brin to go home and rest before his next job.

"Fine, but then you're off." Raymond insisted, throwing the rag across his shoulder before heading back to the kitchen.

Brin smiled and turned to the collection of seats, tables and booths. It took Brin a couple of seconds to find him but he eventually found the fox in the back of the diner, lost in thought as he looked out of the window at the neighborhood. When Brin saw him, he knew instantly that he was from out of town. Not because he didn't know him immediately, but because the fox looked so excited to be sitting there.

Brax looked to Brin as he approached and smiled. The first thing they noticed were the other's eyes. As Brin approached the fox, he noted his green pendant that hung from his neck and drew attention to the fox's eyes that were nearly the exact same color. At the same time, Brax noticed the almost unreal dark blue the husky waiter's eyes were.

"Good afternoon, Sir." Brin greeted before handing him the menu. "What would you like to drink?"

It took the fox a moment to look at the menu and see what drinks the diner offered. But the whole time, Brax's eyes darted from picture to picture of the food the restaurant made and Brin smiled as the pictures seemed to have the desired, hunger inducing, effect.

"Could I have some…lemonade, please?" The fox asked, smiling at his waiter.

Brin nodded and walked away to leave the fox to his deliberating on what to eat. When Brin reached the drink dispenser, he grabbed one of their newly washed cups and started to fill it with ice and then lemonade. However, while he was filling the cup with the fox's desired drink, he looked over and examined the customer. He hadn't seen many foxes around in town and all of them were individuals just passing through. But that wasn't what was catching his eye about this fox. Rather than the usual lanky, sometimes feminine, appearance that you tend to see in foxes, is man was actually well built and masculine.

With Brin looking at the fox as he filled up his drink, he unknowingly let the cup over fill with the requested lemonade and onto his paw.

"Brin!" Raymond called out from the kitchen.

Said dog looked at his boss and then to where Raymond was looking before he snapped back to reality and fumbled to lift up the valve and shut off the machine dispensing the drink. With his paw wet, and somewhat sticky, Brin growled at his own lack of attention and wiped his paw off with some nearby paper towels before walking back to the distracting fox. All the while, he heard the snickering of his boss in the back ground.

"Hey, sorry about the wait." Brin said as he put the filled to the brim cup in front of the fellow canine.

"I assure you, it's not a problem." Brax said, looking up from the menu and at Brin, not noticing the faint blush across his cheeks at what had just occurred. Meanwhile, Brin was just happy that he didn't notice that embarrassing incident.

"Well, what can I get you?" Brin asked, pulling out his pad and pen with a click.

The fox looked down at the menu one last time before folding it up and putting it down on the table in front of his fellow canine.

"I was hoping that you're still serving the wedding soup?" Brax asked looking up at Brin and when he nodded, Brax added: "And perhaps, if you're not too busy, a moment of your time?"

Brin's ears perked at the proposal. He hadn't been asked for a 'moment of his time' once since he was employed by Raymond. It was an unusual request but one that wasn't _that_ strange for him. He was used to getting asked questions from individuals who were just passing by. The usual questions consisted of mostly directions on how to get to specific parts of the town or where family members that lived in the town were. However, on a few occasions, Brin had been asked out or for his number by a few women. He declined of course as he wasn't really looking for a relationship with anyone.

Brin cast a glance over to Raymond as he looked back from his kitchen. Raymond must've been listening to their conversation as he gave the "okay" with a nod for Brin to sit down with the fox.

"Umm, yeah sure, I don't see why not." Brin replied with a smile.

Quickly, Brin walked to Raymond and placed the ticket with the fox's order on the overhang before heading back. But as he placed the ticket, he caught sight of Raymond's raised eyebrow and his smirk, suggesting that he was seeing something that he was going to make fun of Brin for later. The husky ignored it though with a roll of his eyes as he walked back to the fox and sat down in front of him.

"So, just passing through are you?" Brin asked as he sat down.

Brax smiled at how friendly the husky waiter seemed to be. When he first saw him, he smiled as the husky seemed chipper and what he was hoping his first encounter with a local would be. He was a bit on the feminine side with how the ties to his apron hug his waist, but Brax wasn't complaining.

"Actually, no. I'm a newcomer around here—Brax." The fox introduced.

Brin raised an eyebrow as he wasn't sure the last word the fox said meant anything. It sounded like a name but not one that he had ever heard before.

"I'm sorry?"

"Pardon me, Brax, that's my name. Brax Metra." The fox corrected, holding out his paw to the husky across from him.

"Oh. I'm Brin—Brin Clayton." The dog replied, his paw going out and grasping Brax's own, "Sorry, this is kind of a new request for me, talking to a customer that is."

Brax chuckled and shook Brin's paw for a while longer before they slowly took their paws back. Brax folded his in front of him, being careful not to let his elbows touch the table as that was not very gentlemanly. He also kept a straight posture as opposed to Brin's casual slouching. Truth be told, Brax didn't have to be all that careful and watch his movements as he was raised to have manners and for them to be habitual. In this situation, however, he was for some reason being cautious as to how he could be perceived.

"Really now? You have such a friendly face though. I would think that request would be common for you!" Brax complimented before chuckling as he watched Brin's ear go down in embarrassment. Strangely, he noted that only one went down while the other stayed perked. "Relax, I'm kidding. Well—about the request thing at least. Your face is…quite friendly."

Brin's face flushed a bit and he knew it showed well as his cream colored cheeks had little resistance to the red that burned underneath. His tail also noticeably started wagging and he considered himself lucky that no one else was in the diner to see him in an embarrassed state, except that he forgot about the chief in the back. Brin wasn't used to getting compliments except from one of his more promiscuous friends but he never took those seriously. Plus, with the way Brax seemed to be studying him was making Brin self conscious. He straightened out his apron and looked at the window to see that his fur was pretty well kept so he didn't fiddle with it.

"Well, thank you, Brax" Brin said, smiling at the fox and then realizing that he would have left the conversation in the air before he added. "So, what made you want to move to Northwood?"

Brax sighed at the name of their town. Looking out the window, Brax smiled as he realized that this was his town now. He would get to know Brin and probably come back every once and make this restaurant his regular if the food was good enough. He felt a sense of wonder at getting the chance to learn all about the town, it's businesses and the people who lived in Northwood.

"Well, I started a business back where I used to live and while it was working, I didn't get as much business as I was hoping for. I'm a masseuse you see, and so I figured I'd start fresh and move here. I know it's a small town but I also know that Northwood gets more than just its residents here. Plus, I've heard that the mountains and forests around here are a good place to relax; so I figured, why not?"

Brin smiled as he listened to Brax's short tale. He admired that the fox wanted to start his own business and the courage that it took to leave his home and come start fresh in some place foreign. He knew that with the overworked individuals that he knew of that Brax would have a pretty lucrative business.

"I'm glad we can add another business to the market." Brin started, his own paws coming up on the table and intwining his fingers in between another. "There are small businesses here and you'll be a welcomed face. We look out for each other here so maybe I could show you around sometime? If you haven't been shown around already that is."

Brax gave Brin another smile at the husky's offer. He saw the husky's cuffs now as he folded his hands in front of himself, showing that he was wearing a dress shirt underneath his apron. Brin looked like he kept his fur well kept and his eyes were shining with youth. Brax reckoned that they were very similar in age.

"I'd love to have someone show me around town. I spent a good twenty minutes just looking for this place! If you're up to it, I'd be eternally grateful."

"Okay, how about you meet me here tomorrow at say…" Brin trailed off as he reached into his apron and pulled out a small blue booklet. It would only be later that Brax would figure out that the blue matched Brin's eyes perfectly. The booklet itself seemed to be a planner of some sort as Brax caught sight of what looked to be a weekly outline on one of the pages, "perhaps, eleven in the morning? If that's a good time for you that is."

Brax looked down at the booklet and briefly wondered why someone as young as Brin would need a planner but then remembered that he should respond.

"Sure, eleven tomorrow it is." Brax replied, soon after, a bell from the kitchen sounded and Brin excused himself before heading over to the counter to find Brax's food.

Brin looked at the soup and wasn't surprised to find that it was as close to perfection in presentation that it could be. Hopefully Brax enjoys it, he thought. Brin was about to turn around and head back to the waiting fox when he heard a quiet whistle to get his attention. Raymond was leaning over the counter with a knowing smirk spread across his face. He used a finger to gesture for Brin to come closer and so the employee complied and leaned over, looking back and seeing Brax was occupied with looking out of the window at the passing people.

"What is it?" Brin asked, tilting his canine head slightly.

"You. You're smitten!" Raymond said, although it was practically a cheer.

Brin's eyes widened with how loud his boss was being and he looked over his shoulder to make sure that Brax hadn't heard it before he responded.

"I am not and please keep your voice down!"

"You are! Not once since I've met you have I seen you blush from being around anyone! You seem so nervous too, it's really unlike you." Raymond informed, smirking.

"I wouldn't know. I don't blush." Brin said, as if even the thought of his doing something as embarrassing as blushing was beneath him. With that, Brin went back to Brax, holding his bowl of soup in his paw before setting it down in front of the fox.

"Here you are, I hope the wait wasn't too long." Brin said as he sat down back across from his companion.

"It wasn't and the food looks great!" Brax cheered as he looked down at the bowl and then at Brin, noting how lanky he looked, "You want something to eat? I'd be my treat."

"No thanks. I'm still working and I wouldn't feel right eating while I'm on the clock" Brin replied, the waving his hand to the bowl. "Please, enjoy."

Brax felt a little bad that he was about to eat in front of the husky as he might not have eaten all day. However, he felt that he shouldn't press any further as Brin seemed pretty determined not to digress from his job. That, plus the aroma was getting to his more than strong nose to the point where he was nearly drooling.

As he ate, Brax kindly began talking to Brin about the town and what he needed to know. Brin mentioned a few names such as Raymond, the bear who was glancing at them every now and then, along with other individuals he deemed important enough to mention. He also gave an insight into what kind of businesses were in the area The two canines grew more and more comfortable as their talking progressed. Brax talked about his younger sister, Prue, and Brin seemed generally interested. However, Brin seemed hesitant to talk about his family as he expertly worded his answers to Brax's query to specifically avoid mentioning his family. Brax assumed that was a complicated matter.

But when all was said and done, it was starting to get very dark and Brax was surprised to find how long he had spent at the diner.  
"I should probably be heading out. It's getting late and I don't know my way around that well." Brax informed, looking at his companion and then at his now long empty bowl.

"Ah okay, sorry about keeping you for so long." Brin apologized, rubbing the back of his neck and thinking about how he liked talking to the fox.

"No, not at all!" Brax replied, getting up from his seat and smiling at his friend. "I really enjoy our conversation."

Brin smiled with that assurance and brought the plate back to the dishwasher. While he did so, Brax waited for Brin to be out of sight before he brought out his wallet and put down a six dollar tip on the table. Brin didn't notice it as he walked out but would blush to find that Brax left his number with the tip and a note that he would call when he was leaving to meet him.

"Thanks for the company, Brin. I really needed that on my first day here." Brax thanked.

"I did too…" Brin said, feeling nervous about being outside with Brax and saying goodbye. He saw enough movies and read enough books to realize that this was how couples said goodbye after a date. "So…tomorrow?"

Brax nodded, and held out his paw. Brin took it as manners demanded but they both enjoyed the welcomed warmth of the other's paw compared to the brisk cold outside. But as they separated the handshake, they both felt a strange weight around their little fingers, it would a second later fade into obscurity though. Brin watched Brax get into his beaten up old truck, the two waving each other off before Brax drove off and left Brin at the entrance of the dinner, his left paw touching his right paw's little finger out of the strange sensation he felt. With a shrug of his shoulders and a happy sigh, Brin walked back into the dinner to finish off his work and head out to his next job; eagerly awaiting the next day.


End file.
